Fight a Demogorgon, hack Russians, more at 'Stranger Things' escape room this weekend

Reality has ruptured in a small town in rural Indiana. A haunting, dangerous parallel universe has breached this world, trapping a team of visiting scientists in a strange room where they must use 1980s memorabilia to plan their escape.

Scribbled tendrils are pasted to the wall. Christmas lights glisten above a hastily painted alphabet. A computer from Russian intelligence beckons you to make careful choices. The clues are hidden. The clock is ticking.

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This is the premise of Bloomington's "Stranger Things"-themed escape room, where attendees have one hour to solve a series of puzzles pairing 1980s nostalgia with inside nods to the hit Netflix series. The immersive experience, crafted by the sister trio behind Drima Events, will be featured in Graduate Bloomington’s "Stranger Things" suite this weekend only. Tickets, priced at $38 per person, are available now.

Racing against Demogorgons, Russians and the clock

Drima Events — an event planning business by Kate, Kenzie and Holland Colvin — has returned with its "Stranger Things" escape room. The event premiered last month to coincide with the series' fourth season, but thanks to that original weekend's massive success, the experience is back.

"We're just here and excited to bring some fun, creative, immersive events to the community," said communications director Kenzie Colvin.

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"Stranger Things" is a science fiction television series set in the 1980s that follows residents' attempts to stop monsters from escaping a parallel universe and unleashing on their rural Indiana town. With the series itself following characters as they solve convoluted mysteries and uncover dark secrets, the Colvin sisters wanted to create an immersive experience that follows the spirit of the show.

Drima Events Creative Director Kate Colvin has made dozens of custom escape rooms over the years, but this escape room's puzzles use nostalgia from the 1980s as well as loose plot points from "Stranger Things" to enhance audience engagement. Participants will have 60 minutes to solve seven main puzzles throughout the suite.

One wooden puzzle box, crafted by a local artist, looks like the mouth of a Demogorgon when opened. Another puzzle utilizes a viewfinder, a vintage toy from the time period.

In one of the more elaborate puzzles, attendees must translate a Russian phrase in order to access a computer, which will then prompt them to play a customized text-based video game centered around fighting a Demogorgon. The game was written by Kate, using the format of video games from the 1980s.

Kenzie and Holland noted these winks to the '80s have bridged generational gaps between participants, which mirrors the show's reception.

"I feel like the beauty of 'Stranger Things' is that it did really appeal to a really wide audience," Kenzie said.

The main characters' quirks and plights are relatable to younger generations while the series' setting fosters nostalgia for those who grew up in the 1980s.

The escape room does not have an age limit, but it has mostly catered to those who are between 18 to 40.

While the first iteration was a success, the Colvin sisters made some minor alterations to the escape room this time. The original escape room was considered extremely difficult with only a few groups able to escape in the allotted time. Organizers have made some puzzles less challenging and added more time to the clock. However, the Colvin sisters assure this version of the escape room still has a lot of twists and turns that will keep attendees' minds racing alongside the timer.

For participants age 21 or older, the fun doesn't have to stop when the clock runs out. In partnership with Drima Events, the Cade will feature customized "Stranger Things" cocktails throughout the weekend.

Tickets are still available for select times on Friday and Saturday, and can be purchased at https://bit.ly/3yL942k. To ensure the escape room is used at its fullest capacity, participants may be paired with other groups. If you would not like to be with another group, you must purchase 5 or 6 tickets.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Visit Hawkins, Indiana: Escape from Bloomington's Stranger Things suite